Longing for a cup of coffee
by SallyCarefree
Summary: Neal refuses a cup of coffee from Peter. Later on he really wished he hadn't. Because, well read the story to find out. I am planning 3 or 4 chapters. And there might be some Neal whump but nothing dark. (Of course, I don't own anything from White Collar. I am full of respect for the extraordinary achievements of the WC writer team. )
1. Chapter 1

Peter brought him a cup of coffee to the conference room. FBI coffee. Not his favorite brew anyway. But right now he was pouting. Didn't want to take the peace offering from his handler. So Neal refused the coffee with the flimsy excuse of reducing his caffeine consumption.

As Neal said before he was done with Peter. He doesn't need a friend who goes behind his back, won''t trust him. Neal doesn't want to go back to prison and therefore he was stuck with Peter in a professional relationship. The con man vowed to keep this to a strictly matter-of-fact collaboration. No more late night talks, no familiar back-slapping or exchanging confidences.

Hughes gave Peter the finger point. Therefore, the agent put the coffee mug down and hurried to his boss's office.

Neal could watch an animated discussion between both men. At one point, his handler was gesturing in his direction and it could be assumed they were talking about him. Neal started to work up curiosity. Well, it won't take long and the minute Peter would return he would read Neal into the details of their plan.

When the agent left his boss he hurried to his own office, made some quick phone calls, packed a file he brought into his briefcase and finally switched off the computer and came to the conference room.

Agent Burke told his CI the facts in quick words. "_Sorry, change of plans. We won't be able to give our speech at the FBI convention today. I have to leave for Washington, now. Hughes arranged it that you will be working with agent Ochs while I'm gone." _ "_How long will you be gone?_" "_Don't know. We'll see. Take care of yourself and don't get into trouble."_ With his last words a smile showed on Peter Burke's face. But it was soon gone and so was the agent himself as he disappeared to the elevators.

Neal Caffrey told himself this was just what he needed. Give him some room to breathe and time to sort his things out, find Sam - again - and resolve the mysteries around his father. It would be much easier without having Peter at his back jeopardizing each and every venture. And probably it would be more fun, too, working together with another agent in a new team. He was always open to make new experiences and meet new people.

Two hours later - the young man has just finished an elaborate origami orchid - a sturdy looking suit stomped through the door. He barked to the next person in his sight: "_Hey, where's Coffrey ?"_ It was Jones asking him: "_Looking for Neal Caffrey, Sir?_ " "_Coffrey, Caffrey, who cares? That felon I am dumped with, Agent Burke's pet convict."_

Uh, oh. Neal was alarmed. If this was agent Ochs the exchange of his former handler would be no fun. But well, if he was good at anything it was at winning over people. The con artist switched on his famous smile and walked over to agent Ochs. "_I am Neal Caffrey, how can I help?" "Move your ass down to organized crime and get to work. This ain't no leisure resort for felons on parole."_

Neal followed his new handler to the organized crime office floor. It looked similar to the White Collar division, slightly different arrangement of desks but conference room and cubicles where all the same.

Still smiling, the con man inquired what he could to for the team. However, the order 'Bring a round of coffee' didn't amuse him at all. Peter didn't order him to serve coffee, neither did Jones or Diana! If he wanted to be a barista he would have started a career in a coffee shop. "_Need a written task description, Coffrey? Even a jerk should be able to pour some coffee into mugs."_ He reacted indignant to the order. "_I am not an errand boy. Peter used my skills to solve complicated cases and..."_ "_Stop it. Hughes seems to think you would be an asset to our team. I didn't ask for you. Now listen, either you bring coffee and play by my rules or you spend the time until Agent Burke returns in a holding cell. And never think about calling me by my first name. To you I am agent Ochs or Sir. Did you get that?"_

Holding cell versus bullying handler. No opportunity to look for Sam versus serving coffee to a bunch of ignorant morons. Prison versus 2 mile radius. He stood for some seconds motionless struggling for the right decision. "_Yes Sir. Coffee it is."_ Choices are sacrifices. Inevitably, it means giving up something that you want for something you want more.

It turned out to be a long day which didn't get any more pleasant at all. Neal was sick and tired when he finally walked home late at night to his apartment.

... To be continued

P.S.: This is my first story in years. And my very first in English. Nevertheless, I did my best to find all spelling and grammar error before I uploaded the story. I hope I is not to bad :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: here is the next chapter. Thanks so far for all your comments. I hope you like the sequel, too.

When Neal entered his apartment Mozzie was waiting for him. "_You' re late. Did the suit make you work overtime_?" "_Peter's gone to Washington and I am currently working for another team. What did you achieve today? Any news about Sam's whereabouts? Any intel from your contacts on the streets?"_ "_Nothing, nada, rien. He disappeared. Sorry, Neal."_ "_Keep on looking, Moz. I need to find him. He is the only connection to my father and to find the Ellen's murderer"_

Neal got up early and dressed in one of his finest suits. He knew the day to come wouldn't be an easy one. It always helped him to show confidence if he was dressed up. If he feels bad or is afraid he wears elegant clothes to build up confidence. Back in the old times he only wore jeans and T-shirts when he was together with Kate. And he felt great. No need to use clothes as an armor. Being in prison meant he had to wear the orange jumpsuit day in, day out. That didn't help. But he coped. Today he chose a pinstriped suit, a tie matching the blue color of his eyes and, of course his favorite Fedora. Peter would have mocked him and probably made some comments about looking like a cartoon figure. But there is no need to worry about that since Peter wasn t around.

When the con man arrived at the FBI building he took the elevator right to the white collar floor. Diana and Jones were at the coffee machine shooting the breeze. Neal flashed on his patented smile and joined the chatter. They were asking about working with Ochs and the new team. Neal lamented but didn't let out how deep Ochs got under his skin.

Finally, he asked casually about the case Peter was working on and when he was expected to return to New York. Neither Diana nor Jones knew any details about the assignment. Jones has picked up some water cooler talk suggesting that Peter didn't go to Washington to solve a case but to interview for a new job, getting a promotion. Diana on the other hand had heard Hughes assistant talking about a top secret fraud case.

Neal's heart dropped. He really hoped that his handler only traveled to solve a mysterious case and would come back soon. He didn't want to think about his future if agent Burke would move permanently. Maybe he should ask El. But right now, he had to leave the familiar office and join his surrogate team.

Ochs welcomed him with a sharp remark about being late and that Burke must have spoiled him beyond any means. Neal's morning was an endless sequence of dull duties: serving coffee, making paper copies, sorting cold case files alphabetically and even picking up shirts from the dry cleaner for one of the agents. Just as he wanted to go out for a decent coffee and a sandwich in his lunch break Ochs summoned him to a stake out.

They were trying to find links between the illicit traffic in cigarettes and organized crime. His team was waiting for a big deal to take place in an abandoned warehouse in Chinatown.

Neal was standing at the corner opposite of the building. There were heavy rain showers and an icy wind swept through the streets. Neal was freezing in his suit. His umbrella was soaked a couple of hours ago. Now the man was drenched from the top of his hat to the bottom of his shoes. Apart from feeling awful it doesn't make any sense at all for someone in an expensive suit to hang out in Chinatown for 8 hours without a break at the very same spot in front of the observed building. Even without working together with one of the best FBI agents for 2 years and counting he knew that much. The drippy CI has asked his temporary handler several times for a break or replacement. He got only snotty comments and the advice to leave decisions about criminal investigations to the experts.

Finally, at 9 pm, Ochs called the stake out off. Neal was longing for a hot shower and dry clothes. The agents went home. No one was offering Neal a lift home or even asked how he would get there. He was told that he had 45 minutes to get back into his two mile radius. Neal mused that it wouldn't be too bad driving home in a comfortable Taurus. He would even take up with the chatter of his handler-not-friend Peter Burke.

Thinking about that, it was only reasonable that he had to know the shapes of things to come, wasn't it? Before he went home he called Peter Burke's mobile phone. Only to find out it was switched off. Not good. Maybe he could call Hughes? He dismissed the thought right away. Not only would that seem desperate and hey he wasn't desperate, not for his handler who had betrayed him anyway. He was not to forget this detail so soon. But he knew also pretty well that Hughes would give him a brush-off and won't even tell him anything at all.

When he finally came home he was bone tired and felt sick. No message from Mozzie. So he went to bed and hoped the next day would turn out better. If not, he might just as well start crossing days off on the wall with a crayon. It helped when he was in prison. Only that June would kill him. Well, not literally. But she would look at him as if he was a naughty child. That was bad enough.

One of the first lines he learned when he was studying Latin was _spes saepe fallit_ . If he would have remembered that he might have kept his hopes low for the next day. Because as the old proverb implied hope is often deceiving...


	3. Chapter 3

The alarm clock went off early next morning. Neal's body felt still tired and torn. He hurried to take a shower and get dressed. Without taking the time for breakfast or at least a coffee he left the apartment.

It took a while to find a taxi but finally he was on his way. He decided to walk the last two blocks and told the driver to stop.

The con man approached the driveway when he saw El carrying some empty moving boxes from the car to the front door. Neal's face fell. El stopped when she spotted him. "_Neal! What are you doing here at this time in the morning?_"

"_Um, I was on my way to work and just thought to drop over and look after you while Peter is out of town."_ She looked astonished, even amused. "_Drop over? Driving from Upper West Side to Downtown Manhattan you happened to drop over at DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn? I guess the taxi driver has mistaken you for a foolish tourist."_

"_What can I say?_" The con artist grinned at her familiar face and gave her the puppy look. "_I missed you. Do you need any help carrying those boxes? You don't move out while Peter's gone, are you?_" He was teasing her. And then he couldn't keep up the smile. "_Or are you both moving to DC? Peter's not coming back? His shoulders dropped."_

"_Oh no, I just got these empty boxes from Yvonne. She moved houses a couple of weeks ago. Now, she doesn't need the boxes anymore and we wanted to clear the attic for ages. You know, getting rid of all the stuff stockpiling there for a decade. I could get started packing the boxes. Evenings without Peter are boring and I could spend the time well and get started with this duty."_

_"Won't Peter be back for the weekend?_" "_I don't know. I haven't spoken with him the last two days."_ Elisabeth wouldn't lie to him; she was a perfectly honest person. But then, if Peter told her to keep something to herself she would cover up. He wasn't sure whether to believe here.

"_Would you like to join me for breakfast? I just made some fresh coffee."_ "_Sorry, I am already late. I have to be at the office in"_ - he checked his watch and frowned - "_10 minutes. I have to hurry back. Anyway, it was nice talking to you. A short deviation worth its while."_

Of course, the CI arrived late at the office and was reprimanded harshly. He apologized profusely and pulled his dull duties. Ochs and his agents met in the conference room. Some breaking news came up and they were planning something. Neal watched through the glass front. He wasn't allowed inside and the door was closed. Being a successful criminal meant he had to be skilled in various areas of expertise. He learned lip-reading from one of the best - even though he never got quite as good as Mozzie himself...

One of the field agents got a tip about a deal scheduled this afternoon. His informant - Gianni, a petty crook - should hand over the money and receive the goods in exchange. His boss, a crime boss with connections to all the big families, sent him to close the deal. Neal couldn't pick up why the informant turned sides. But obviously he was afraid to go to the meeting place. Ochs came up with the idea of sending someone else to the meeting to provide evidence to convict the suspects.

There was a heated debate in the conference room going on. Some agents were looking in Neal s direction, Ochs shook his head. After a couple of minutes Ochs seemed to change his mind.

The con man anticipated that he would be summoned soon. He put on an indifferent face. From his poker experience he learned that it's half the battle if your counterpart has no clue you knew his plans. He headed for the coffee machine to appear self-absorbed.

It didn't take long until the young man was called to the conference room. "_For once you may be useful for the FBI. We seize the opportunity to catch those felons. You'll meet up with them. Being a felon yourself it shouldn't be difficult for you to convince them that you were sent to carry out the transaction. You make them talk, we'll be listening. It's as simple as that. Don't blow it."_

"_Who is it I'm going to meet? What's exactly in the deal?"_ "_Stop whining, that's what you are going to find out."_ "_Do they know the guy who should actually show up?"_ The agents in the room fell silent and stared into space. Ochs broke the silence. "_Come on let's get ready. Put your mug down. You can enjoy your coffee when the job is finished. Right now, you have to earn your alimony."_

They drove to the meeting place, Chinatown once again, and removed his anklet - not without giving him warnings not to run and to play by the rules. The CI got a watch with a transmitter and checked whether it was working properly. Before he left the van he asked about the safe word if he needed to call it off. "_Safe word? Caffrey, that's not a sleazy role play. Just do your job properly and there will be no need to back out."_ He was left high and dry - it wasn't a surprise really. But he has pulled many cons in his life on his own without a backup or safety net. He could manage that.

Neal entered the empty Chinese restaurant where he was supposed to meet his partners of crime. There were six men waiting for him. All of them heavy-armed. He sensed this was serious business. Perceiving and assessing danger was another skill you have to master if you want to survive as a criminal.

The CI noticed immediately that they were surprised to see him. The men started to talk in Mandarin. He was fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. Even though Neal could follow the conversation he didn't let it show. "_Who's that? That's not Gianni._" "_I've seen him before. He was standing outside of the warehouse the other day for hours._" "_He's with the police? Let's get rid of him._" It happened all very fast.

Neal didn't like guns. Even less when they were loaded and pointed in his direction. He shouted "_Get me out!"_ And hoped the agents were still listening to the transmitter. No need at all for obfuscating safe words if his cover was already blown and the bad guys knew he was working for law enforcement.

He heard shots. He felt a sharp pain. He saw blood dripping on the floor. He dropped to the floor.

Author's note: one chapter to go. I promise Neal will get his cup of coffee :-)


	4. Chapter 4

Neal was hit. His shoulder hurt badly. His instincts helped him to find cover behind a counter.

Right then, he heard the FBI moving in. Apparently Ochs got additional back-up to support his team. Who'd ever thought Neal Caffrey might be happy to see a fully armed police force coming after him...

He was on the verge of passing out and he had to struggle to keep awake. His vision was blurred while he watched the FBI men succeeding in arresting the suspects. It was a tough fight and two of the criminals were shot and wounded. No one seemed to care about the criminal informant lying on the floor.

Ochs and his men made sure to handcuff the suspects after they were disarmed. The FBI agents searched the restaurant. They found a wooden crate which apparently was the subject of deal and secured the evidence. They seemed to be very satisfied with themselves and their success.

After what felt like an eternity to Neal they draw their attention to him. "_Caffrey, get up! This is not the time to dodge work."_ The CI couldn't believe his ears. For Peter as his handler it would have been his highest priority to make sure his young charge got the necessary medical care. But here and now, no one from his so-called team yelled man down or seemed to be worried at all about his situation.

_"You're not dying. We've called the paramedics and they will take care of you. If you can't help securing the crime scene make at least sure that you don't get in our way."_ Neal suppressed any comment and leaned back.

While he was waiting for the medical team his mobile rang. Peter! "_Hey kiddo, where are you? I can't get any signal from your anklet. I came back this morning and was wondering if you are still cutting your caffeine consumption down or if you're up for a cup of Italian roast. I pay."_ "_Peter, honestly I'd love to. But I got shot just some minutes ago and now I am waiting for the paramedics."_ He didn't sound like his usual self, his voice was hoarse and crestfallen. "_Neal, where are you?"_ Neal told him the name of the restaurant. "_I'll come for you, don't worry."_ Neal smiled.

Peter must have violated every speed limit on his way. He didn't arrive much later than the paramedics. First of all, he made sure that Neal got the appropriate medical care. After that, he checked the crime scene. When he figured out how careless the FBI team has risked Neal's live with this ill-prepared mission and even put his health last in line of priorities he cornered Ochs. Neal enjoyed watching how Peter Burke read agent Ochs the riot act. And if his handler was good at one thing it was in giving someone a telling-off. The reformed criminal knew that part first hand.

Finally, Peter told Ochs to expect disciplinary measures. Neal was ready to be transferred to the hospital. "_I'll meet you there buddy. Probably you will need a lift home afterwards."_

Fortunately, the bullet went clean through the shoulder and didn't do any serious harm. I would take quite a while until the torn sinews and muscles were healed but the doctor didn't expect any permanent damage. Neal refused to take pain killers. "_You know what this stuff does to me. I can stand the pain but I don't want to start singing and bubbling to you again."_ Peter sighed with resignation.

It was late in the evening when Peter brought Neal home. He made sure that June was at home and told her about her tenant's injury. Just to make sure that someone would keep an eye on him.

"_Listen Neal, it was a long day for you. You have to take some rest. There is something I have to tell you. But this is not the time to do it."_

Neal turned pale. He had to know. If he would be forced to work for Ochs permanently he'd rather run. "_Are you moving to Washington?"_ Peter Burke was caught off guard. "_Hell no. Why whould I do that? I couldn't stand leaving New York for good. These couple of days were just enough for me. Sorry, you have with stick to me for the next 2 years."_

"_Peter, I am really glad to hear that."_ With a grin on his face he couldn't resist to tease him a bit: "_But I have to tell you that I've seen your wife this morning with some moving boxes."_ Now it was Peter's turn to pale. Of course, he knew better than to suspect his lovely wife leaving him. But his deductive skills were good. "_That means I will be slaving away my weekend clearing the attic!"_

"_See you tomorrow Neal. I will come and see you after work."_ With that he left and Neal was so exhausted that he fell to sleep the moment he hit the bed.

Peter wasn't really surprised when the injured CI turned up at the FBI office the very next day. Staying a day at home and taking his time to recover was just not Neal. The con man was fishing for compliments from Diana and Jones for his share in arresting the criminals the day before. And he was bathing in their sympathy for his injuries.

Finally, Neal entered his handler's office and closed the door. "_What important job needed the special attention of special agent Peter Burke in DC? Tell me some dark government secrets. I would love to share them with Mozzie."_ Peter smirked. "_I have no idea why Hughes sent me over. The white collar division over there was into a Ponzi scheme. But it wasn't anything unusual and they didn't really need my help. In fact, they were annoyed that someone would think they couldn't handle a routine case on their own."_ Frankly, he had some ideas why Hughes sent him out of town. Even though Hughes wasn' t a regular Caffrey fan he appreciates his share in the rise of the case clearance rate. But he was less lenient towards the disrespect the former criminal was demonstrating for his superiors. When Burke returned today he reported back to his boss. Hughes sounded a bit ominous when he mentioned that Caffrey would probably be grateful to return to his old handler. Peter wouldn t tell Neal but he suspected that his assignment was to some extent meant to be a lesson for his charge.

"_Neal, I know you don't want me to interfere with your private affairs. I respect that. But"_ - Peter fumbled for words "_Sam and his involvement in whatsoever - puts your freedom and your live at risk. To me, you are a friend and a partner. I can't sit back and watch you losing everything. I used my time in Washington to make some enquiries about him. Even though he was working undercover he left some marks and I met some people who knew him, even his longtime partner._

_Neal, Sam died some years ago. After he retired he went to Florida, bought a boat and made the dream of his lifetime come true. He died only a couple of month after he quit the service. The man you call Sam is not the person Ellen told you to trust. I don't know yet who he is but it's not Sam."_

The CI couldn't believe it. More precisely, he didn't want to believe it. Truth to be told, the way Sam acted was just a bit too mysterious and overcautious. There was something fishy about him all the time. But Neal has preferred to ignore it. Finding Sam was a perfect diversionary tactic to distract him from Ellen's loss.

"_Neal, please, don't get mad. Take your time to think about it."_ Peter was expecting an outburst, yelling, storming out of the office or any other form of tantrum.

But his young partner was still able to surprise him. "_Thank you, Peter. I really appreciate your help. I know some days ago I put unfair blame on you. I am sorry. I was just so desperate that I needed someone to be responsible for the disaster of Ellen's death. I guess you had to collect quite some favors to get this information. It means a lot to me."_

His handler was stunned. After taking in the unreserved apology he felt relieved.

"_Well then, I brought you something from my trip to DC"_ he said with a grin. Neal looked suspicious. Peter unpacked a mug from his briefcase. It was a gift bought in one of the tourist shops at the airport. It had printed the White House and a Thomas Jefferson quote on it: _Coffee - the favorite drink of the civilized world_

Peter chuckled and Neal bubbled over with laughter. "_Come on kiddo, let's get some coffee. I will help you to our special FBI roast."_ "_You won't call that coffee. That would be an offense to every decent coffee in the world."_ "_You're an ungrateful wretch, and spoiled."_ They were still bantering and exchanging friendly insults while they were drinking coffee. Jones and Diana joined them. While Neal was sipping his coffee out of his new mug he came to the conclusion that this might be the best coffee he'd ever had. Drinking bad coffee with good friends was better by all means than drinking excellent coffee on your own.

Author's note:

And this is the end to the story. Thanks for reading it. I hope you enjoyed it.

I was inspired to write this story when I met Matt Bomer in a coffee shop. 'Met' means he was standing in line right in front of me. Of course, we didn't drink coffee together :-)

_A true friend embosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably._  
William Penn


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